1. Technical Field
This application generally relates to applications, and more particularly to techniques used in connection with the execution of an application.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer systems may include different resources used by one or more host processors. Resources and host processors in a computer system may be interconnected by one or more communication connections. These resources may include, for example, data storage devices such as those included in the data storage systems manufactured by EMC Corporation. These data storage systems may be coupled to one or more servers or host processors and provide storage services to each host processor. Multiple data storage systems from one or more different vendors may be connected and may provide common data storage for one or more host processors in a computer system.
A host processor may perform a variety of data processing tasks and operations using the data storage system. For example, a host processor may perform basic system I/O operations in connection with data requests, such as data read and write operations.
Host processor systems may store and retrieve data using a storage device containing a plurality of host interface units, disk drives, and disk interface units. The host systems access the storage device through a plurality of channels provided therewith. Host systems provide data and access control information through the channels to the storage device and the storage device provides data to the host systems also through the channels. The host systems do not address the disk drives of the storage device directly, but rather, access what appears to the host systems as a plurality of logical disk units. The logical disk units may or may not correspond to the actual disk drives. Allowing multiple host systems to access the single storage device unit allows the host systems to share data in the device. In order to facilitate sharing of the data on the device, additional software on the data storage systems may also be used.
Data storage systems and servers may be configured in a network arrangement referred to as a Storage Area Network (SAN). Each of the servers may have access to different physical devices, and/or logical portions thereof, included in the SAN. A data storage system may include two processors each executing code. The processors and software executing thereon may operate in accordance with a variety of different models. One existing model is a peer-to-peer model. In such a model, software executing on each of the processors may act as a peer to the other with respect to providing services and performing tasks. Each processor may be capable of providing a same set of services as the other processor such that either processor may service a request received by the data storage system. One problem with the peer-to-peer model is that some tasks performed by the processors may not be well suited for use with the peer-to-peer model.